Chapter 69

Before closing the session, Li Fan set a minimum contribution point threshold of 100.

Once it fell below this number, the auxiliary cultivation mode would be forcibly interrupted.

As if suddenly woken from a good sleep, Li Fan felt a wave of annoyance, but this emotion was quickly suppressed.

"These contribution points are being consumed too quickly."

The days when he held over three thousand points seemed like yesterday, and in the blink of an eye, they were gone again.

"There's still about two years before the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace opens. Before then, I need to find a way to gain some contribution points and strengthen my power."

He then browsed the mission page of the Heavenly Black Mirror again.

Li Fan chose to ignore the official missions posted by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

At the late Qi Condensation stage, the official missions he could take were still low-yield but low-risk tasks.

For example, assisting alchemists, artifact makers, and talisman makers, or helping to maintain and inspect the magical arrays scattered across the Cloud Sea.

Though safe, the contribution points gained were too slow.

If Li Fan were interested in learning alchemy or artifact making, it might be worth considering.

But with the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace about to open, the most important thing now was to obtain the *Cloud Water Map* first.

Unfortunately, Li Fan's luck didn't seem to be very good this time.

After looking for a long time, he still couldn't find a suitable mission.

After some thought, Li Fan took out the communication spirit talisman given by He Zhenghao and sent him a message.

"May I ask, Daoist He, do you have any methods for quickly gaining contribution points? I've been looking in the Heavenly Black Mirror for a long time, and most missions only offer a few dozen points. I need thirty points a day for cultivation. At this rate, when will I be able to exchange for a Foundation Establishment cultivation technique?"

Li Fan spoke with a complaining tone.

After sending the message, Li Fan put the communication spirit talisman aside.

While waiting for He Zhenghao's reply, he resumed his cultivation.

Although the cultivation speed was much slower without the assistance of the spirit, he was still making slow progress.

Three days passed, and He Zhenghao finally sent a reply.

"Ha ha ha, in our Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, new cultivators often need to work for several years to exchange for a cultivation technique. Everyone goes through this."

"But..."

He Zhenghao changed his tone and continued, "Since you were introduced by me, I naturally have to help you."

"After all, I hope you can enter the Foundation Establishment stage as soon as possible!"

"However, it's not convenient to discuss this matter through the communication spirit talisman. If you're willing, come to Liuli Island. We can talk in person."

...

Originally, Li Fan had just asked out of curiosity, not expecting He Zhenghao to give such a straightforward response.

"Truly a timely rain. But, there must be a reason for everything..." Recalling how He Zhenghao had always been generous in both lives, Li Fan was thoughtful.

Without hesitation, he left the Heavenly Black Mirror and headed straight for Liuli Island.

In the protective array of Liuli Island, He Zhenghao was sitting in a pavilion on the mountaintop, drinking tea, clearly having waited for a long time.

"Looks like you're eager," He Zhenghao laughed when he saw Li Fan.

He clapped his hands, and the mountain beneath their feet suddenly trembled.

Then, Li Fan saw the surrounding mountains rising together.

But he quickly realized what was happening.

It wasn't that the other mountains were rising, but that the mountain they were on was descending.

The mountain rapidly sank below the ground level, arriving in a space filled with silver mist.

Li Fan looked up and saw the continuous mountains in the protective array, now floating like stars above his head.

The mountains and rivers were scattered but seemed to form a whole according to some pattern.

They appeared stationary but were constantly in motion.

Seeing Li Fan's expression, He Zhenghao was somewhat proud: "What do you think of my Mountain River Star Array?"

Li Fan, who had never seen the true form of Liuli Island's protective array in his previous life, sincerely said, "The Mountain River Star Array... it's quite extraordinary. But why does the protective array of Liuli Island seem..."

He Zhenghao already knew what Li Fan was going to ask and became even more proud: "That's because this protective array was built by me personally, so it's different from those of other islands."

Li Fan was surprised: "I didn't expect you to be proficient in array formations?"

But he was also a bit puzzled: "The Mountain River Star Array is so vast. Could you build it at the Foundation Establishment stage?"

He Zhenghao coughed and said seriously, "Of course, someone assisted me. However, the array formation was primarily my responsibility."

"To be honest, my Foundation Establishment treasure is a map of the Mountain River Hundred Veins. Therefore, I have a talent for array formations that ordinary cultivators can't match. In terms of array formations, even ordinary Nascent Soul realm array masters might not be able to compare to me." He Zhenghao said confidently.

"I see..." Li Fan nodded and then asked, "What exactly is the matter, Daoist He? Why all the secrecy and effort?"

He Zhenghao smiled and said, "It's not a big deal, just a bit taboo."

"Do you know that many years ago, all the mortals in the cultivation world were exiled to various small worlds around it?"

Li Fan narrowed his eyes: "I've heard a bit about it."

He Zhenghao continued, "Actually, these small worlds contain many valuable things that can be exchanged for contribution points. But it's time-consuming and labor-intensive to collect them alone, making it not very cost-effective."

"However, the powerful mortals in these small worlds often plot to return to the cultivation world. So..."

Li Fan already understood what He Zhenghao was going to do: "So?"

"We can use this as a condition to have those mortals collect resources for us. I happen to know of a small world called Dali, which is quite vast and produces several precious treasures. There's even a lot of Star Sea Sand."

"Star Sea Sand is a common material for array formations, often priced at two to three contribution points per pound..."

He Zhenghao explained in a steady stream, but he noticed Li Fan's gaze becoming increasingly strange, making him a bit awkward.

He then said, "Don't look at me like that. I know what you're thinking."

"How could a noble cultivator lower themselves to do such a thing, right?"

"But you don't know that if you don't do it, someone else will."

"One small world, plundered every ten years, can yield over two thousand contribution points. If there are more such worlds, it's like getting over two thousand contribution points for free every year."

"See, when I analyze it for you, doesn't it seem very reasonable?"